


Consolation Prize

by summers-maclay-lehane (ofstormsandwolves)



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s03e05 Homecoming, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, School Dances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-13 04:52:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18933799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofstormsandwolves/pseuds/summers-maclay-lehane
Summary: Faith decides that Buffy decides a consolation prize after missing out on Homecoming Queen, and she knows exactly what to offer.





	Consolation Prize

After the coronation was done, and the dancing had started, Buffy had edged back into the room to stand alone by the refreshments. It wasn’t so much that she was upset about losing out on the Homecoming Queen title, and more that she was upset she had allowed herself to consider it a possibility. Did it really matter? In the grand scheme of things, she knew not; she had saved the lives of every person in the room a dozen times over. But it would have been nice to have some sort of recognition, even if it was a silly fake crown. There was a part of her that longed for the simplicity of her Hemery days, where her biggest priority was the latest fashion and which boy she currently had a crush on. While she knew she was a better person now than she had been then, there was a part of her that missed the recognition from her peers; the titles she had been awarded, the boys whose heads she had turned in her cheerleading uniform. It was silly, she knew, and if Giles knew she thought about those things he’d probably have a heart attack. Still she would have liked to have felt like the old her just once; to feel like a normal teenager with normal worries, leaving a normal, silly mark in her high school’s history. _Buffy Summers, Homecoming Queen 1998._

“Hey, B.”

Buffy blinked, realising she had just been staring at the fruit punch. Turning, she wasn’t remotely surprised to see Faith stood behind her with a smirk on her face.

“Faith. You look... Nice.” Internally, Buffy cringed. _Nice? That’s all I could think to say?_

But apparently, Faith wasn’t fazed. “Yeah? You don’t look too bad yourself, B.”

Buffy was fairly certain her dirty, torn dress, messy hair, and mud-streaked face made her appearance anything but fine, yet at Faith’s compliment, she could feel her cheeks warm a little. _Why? Why is a compliment from Faith making me all weak at the knees? Am I coming down with something...?_ Buffy mentally shook herself as she realised Faith was staring at her. Buffy’s eyes widened. _Oh god. I didn’t say the ‘weak-at-the-knees’ thing out loud, did I?_

“So, B,” Faith announced, “sorry about the Homecoming Queen thing.”

“It’s alright,” Buffy shrugged, wrinkling her nose. “It feels a bit silly now, anyway. I mean, it would have been nice to win. You know, remind me that I’m still me and all that. Like I was the same girl who won it at Hemery. I mean, not the _same_ girl, because I was a bit... Typical blonde cheerleader type, but... It would have been nice.” She glanced down at her dirt-streaked, torn dress. “Skipping the whole SlayerFest thing would have been nicer, though.”

Faith nodded, but seemed a little distracted. Buffy frowned. _Is... is she staring at my lips?_ Then Faith seemed to shake herself, and glanced over to the dance floor as a slow song came on over the speakers. 

“Hey, B. I know I’m only a consolation prize and all that, but I’m a wicked good one. So how about a dance?”

“A dance?” Buffy managed to get out, wide-eyed and cheeks red.

“Yeah,” Faith smirked. “I mean, we’re _at_ a dance and all. We should probably, you know, get our grind on.” She cast another glance towards the slow-dancing couples. “Maybe we could show these guys how to really do it.”

Buffy opened her mouth to say something, but no words would come out. She just stared dumbly as Faith smirked back at her. Then, almost of its own volition, Buffy’s fingers reached out to entwine with Faith’s. Faith grinned, and tugged her towards the dance floor.

As they weaved through slow-dancing couples, Buffy realised with a sudden jolt that Faith was leading her right into the middle of the floor. There would be no hiding in the shadows, no lurking on the fringes of the dance. They would be in full view of everyone. But before Buffy could voice her concerns, Faith came to a halt, wrapped her arms around Buffy’s neck and tugged. She stumbled forward, hands instinctively resting on Faith’s shoulders as she steadied herself. _Oh god. We’re so close._ It wouldn’t take much, Buffy knew, for her to just lean in and kiss Faith’s inviting lips. _Wait! Where had that come from??_

Faith was still smirking at her as she began to sway them to the rhythm of the music, and suddenly it felt like everything else had just melted away. Gone were the worries about what Willow, or Xander, or Giles might say; gone were the worries about fuelling the rumour mill of Sunnydale High; gone were the aches and pains of the night’s fight, and the disappointment of not being crowned Homecoming Queen. It was just her and Faith, and the music that filled the tense air. 

Eyes locked, bodies instinctively gravitating closer, seeking each other’s warmth and comfort and support, Faith and Buffy moved with the music that seemed to consume them. Buffy’s hands had drifted up the tantalising length of Faith’s neck, past her choker and up to her face, where her thumbs stroked along Faith’s jaw line. In turn, Faith’s hand drifted up to brush against Buffy’s cheekbone, to tuck an escaped strand of hair behind an ear. Her hands left a burning trail of heat in their wake, and Buffy suppressed a shudder. And then, Faith’s gaze dropped from Buffy’s eyes, lower to... _Oh._ Faith was staring at her lips. Again.

She leaned in.

Buffy held her breath.

Faith’s lips against hers- soft, cautious, not at all like Buffy had imagined-

_-I haven’t imagined this, I haven’t imagined this, I haven’t imagined this...-_

\- and suddenly the song ended. It was replaced by the unmistakable sound of live music by the Dingoes, and for a moment Buffy froze. How many people had seen her and Faith kiss? At that exact moment, Faith pulled back, and already Buffy found herself missing the feel of their lips pressed against each other. 

_Have I upset her? I didn’t... I mean, I didn’t freeze because I didn’t like the kissing, it just... Surprised me._

But Faith was still staring at Buffy’s lips, a small, contented smile on her lips. That look on anyone else would look a little silly, that half-dazed look Faith was wearing. But on her, it looked sexy. As everyone around them began dancing to the Dingoes’ music, Buffy realised that she and Faith were still wrapped in each other’s arms.

“Faith-” Buffy cut herself off, not really knowing what she was going to say.

Faith grinned at her. “So how about it, B? Why don’t we show these guys how to really dance?”

A grin spread across Buffy’s face. “What did you have in mind?”

Faith seemed to consider the question for a moment, before smirking. “First person to give that creepy little principal of yours a heart attack wins.”

“You’re on,” Buffy retaliated quickly.

And before Faith could do anything, Buffy grabbed her by the hips and tugged her close.


End file.
